A Filipino overseas worker in Oman who had not been in contact with her family for months is set to be rescued after Senator Raffy Tulfo intervened directly, ordering government welfare officials to act on the same day her case was raised.
Fatima Villarin Doniña left her employer after enduring what her family described as months of physical violence and withheld wages. According to her mother, Rollen Villarin, Fatima had not been paid for three months and was being physically harmed by her employer. Wanting to continue sending money home to her children, she sought work elsewhere — but has since been left in a precarious situation with no access to her passport and no clear path home.
Rollen, together with Fatima’s sister Glenda, traveled from Culasi, Iloilo to the Raffy Tulfo in Action (RTIA) office to seek help after their family’s appeals to Fatima’s recruitment agency produced nothing. The family said the agency refused to retrieve Fatima’s passport from the employer despite multiple requests, leaving her unable to return to the Philippines. Their last communication with Fatima was as recent as February 2026.
During a video call interview with Senator Tulfo, Fatima broke down while recounting how she had repeatedly asked her agency to transfer her to a different employer due to the abuse — requests that were flatly denied. Adding to her distress, she said her employer is now threatening to file a runaway case against her and have her blacklisted.
The most severe incident Fatima described involved being summoned to her female employer’s location, where she was struck on the back and arms after being accused of photographing the employer’s unveiled sister. When her phone was forcibly taken, she said she fought back in self-defense — only to end up on the floor while her employers filed a complaint against her at a local police station.
Photographs she sent to RTIA showed visible swelling on her face.
A fellow Filipino has been sheltering Fatima at a training company’s accommodation where she is at least able to eat, according to her mother.
Senator Tulfo, in his capacity as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers, called Atty. Sherilyn Malonzo, Director II of the OWWA 24/7 Operations Center, and directed her to coordinate Fatima’s rescue that same day. Malonzo confirmed that their welfare officer in Oman had already been contacted and that efforts to locate Fatima were underway for an on-the-spot rescue.
Malonzo also committed to handling Fatima’s repatriation documents — including a review of her work visa status — with a target of returning her to the Philippines within two weeks. She said OWWA is prepared to provide legal assistance and assign a lawyer to help Fatima pursue a complaint against her employers.
Senator Tulfo pledged to personally shoulder the travel expenses of Rollen and Glenda, as well as all costs related to meeting Fatima at the airport and accompanying the family back to their province.
